Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In its glorious Music Hall, maestro Ryan Bancroft leads CINCINNATI SYMPHONY with sensitivity and cohesion

• By drediman
• April 2, 2024
• No Comments

This past Easter weekend, I ventured out west to attend a performance by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on its home turf. Led by American conductor Ryan Bancroft in his debut with the orchestra, the Cincinnatians played with sensitivity and cohesion in a well-balanced program that encompassed Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade for Orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s tried and true Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Minor, and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4.

Adept at both conveying the lush romanticism of the Coleridge-Taylor and the Tchaikovsky pieces — in the latter, kudos to the luminous yet incisive playing by soloist Inon Barnatan, who played with well-earned excitement — as well as the heroic, majestic flourishes of Nielsen’s “The Inextinguishable” symphony, the Cincinnati forces produced thoroughly satisfying, wonderfully-shaped accounts that emphasized sturdy grandeur over adventurous re-examinations. Indeed, the playing was expertly calibrated — the rich strings meshed ideally against the carefully penetrating brass, and the quality of the overall playing was consistently high throughout. I credit outgoing music director Louis Langrée — also the former music director Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival — for honing the orchestra’s reliable, integrated classical sound over his 11-year tenure (Langée’s final appearance with the ensemble as its music director is next month in May; he leaves to lead the Opéra Comique in Paris soon thereafter).

Special mentioned must also be paid to Cincinnati’s Music Hall itself, which was spectacularly renovated with much fanfare in 2017, notably with respect to the vast improvements of its acoustics, as well as the venue’s dramatically increased intimacy and comfort. Indeed, compared to most symphony halls I’ve been to, the sound in the hall was truly exceptional — vibrant, immediate, and warm. All aspects of the concert-going experience were top notch.

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CINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Classical Music
Cincinnati Music Hall
Approximately 2 hours (with one intermission)
Program was performed on March 29 and 30